LAVAL, QC, Nov. 4, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - The Société de transport de Laval (STL) released a positive assessment of its Quality Commitment Program (QCP), which it launched just over two years ago. Since 2017, the public transit authority has compensated riders almost 3,800 times, for a total of approximately $17,500. For the STL, this is not a cost but an investment, one that has been yielding important benefits for the STL and its users.
Still the only customer service warranty of its kind in Canada, the QCP revolves around five key components: being on time, behaving politely, providing accurate and relevant information, ensuring a safe and comfortable ride, and keeping our equipment clean and well-maintained. This promise to customers covers regular bus service, shared taxis, and paratransit transportation.
Each compensation represents an opportunity to interact with riders in order to better understand them and meet their expectations. On occasion, it can also serve to defuse a frustrating situation. The Quality Commitment Program is an exercise in accountability and transparency, as well as a valuable customer retention and loyalty tool.
The Quality Commitment Program is an improved version of the Warranty of Quality, a similar program implemented in 2001. Three elements were revamped by the time the new program launched in 2017: coverage extended to paratransit transportation, compensation extended to free transit pass holders (family specials, Horizon 65+ free pass, etc.), and a broader range of compensation options. All told, for 18 years, the STL has been the only public transit authority in the country to adopt a quality pledge and back it with a rider compensation program.
Quote from STL's Chairman of the Board, Éric Morasse
"At the STL, riders are our Number One priority. As a public body, we feel an obligation to provide quality service, and when we fail, riders receive compensation. We are proud of what we've accomplished, but there's still room for improvement. Our results speak volumes, but we're continuing to set the bar higher and strive toward our ultimate goal, that of getting even more Laval residents on board with trading in single-occupant driving for public transit."
Customer satisfaction is up
Our average customer satisfaction score with respect to regular bus service rose from 7.3 on 10 in 2016 to 7.6 in 2019. What makes the higher score even more remarkable is that it comes as Laval's traffic conditions worsen year after year. The STL's strategic plan calls for the overall satisfaction score to reach 8 on 10 within 5 years.
Our paratransit transportation satisfaction score remained unchanged, holding steady at an enviable 8.4 on 10 between 2016 and 2018, despite a sharp increase in the number of trips, from approximately 480,000 in 2016 to the 536,000+ projected in 2019.
A survey conducted over the last six months, of riders who filed a complaint about punctuality, reveals an 81% satisfaction rate among respondents after receiving compensation. Separate research shows that more than 72% of respondents acknowledge an improvement in one or the other of the five components of the QCP.
Findings and opportunities for improvement
The STL uses the QCP alongside other tools to diagnose and assess its performance. For the last 30 months, the organization as a whole has been tasked with observing rider behaviour and how our performance matches up against the five service pledges we've undertaken to uphold. We have made several adjustments along the way to fine-tune certain elements of the program and our methods, in order to rectify the situations brought to our attention.
In 2017, we rolled out a sweeping continuous improvement process organization-wide, with our Quality Commitment Program as the linchpin of the STL's strategic objectives. Combining the two sparked the momentum needed to refine our internal practices and reaffirm the rider-first mindset across all departments, especially operations, infrastructure, maintenance and customer service.
For more details: www.stl.laval.qc.ca/en/stl-quality-commitment
About the Société de transport de Laval
The STL develops and operates an integrated network consisting of buses, school transport, shared taxis, and paratransit transport which together combine for 19+ million trips per year. The STL's regular bus network consists of 46 routes, some 2,700 stops and covers over 1,400 kilometres across the Laval territory. The STL is among the most innovative transit authorities in North America, thanks to initiatives such as being the first in Québec to operate a 100% electric 40-foot bus, and introducing as early as 2010 a passenger information system that dispatches real-time bus arrival information to riders. In 2017, the STL rebranded its Quality Commitment Program into the only customer service pledge of its kind in Canada. That same year, it also became the first transit authority in Canada to accept credit cards on buses. www.stl.laval.qc.ca.
STL QUALITY COMMITMENT PROGRAM
Data Sheet
What is the STL Quality Commitment Program (QCP)?
A five-point customer service pledge intended for all STL riders who use regular bus service, paratransit transportation and shared taxis.
In it, we pledge to:
- Do our utmost to be reliable and on time
- Be welcoming and courteous
- Take rider comfort and safety seriously
- Keep riders properly informed
- Operate reliable and clean equipment
Total number of compensations issued Per network type |
|||
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Total to date (30 months) |
|
Regular network |
1,454 |
1,362 |
3,508 |
Paratransit transportation |
84 |
125 |
239 |
TOTAL |
1,538 |
1,487 |
3,747 |
Number of compensations (PT + regular) per pledge type 2017-2019 (to date) |
||||
Pledge |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Total to date (30 months) |
% |
On time |
1,323 |
1,274 |
3,215 |
86% |
Courtesy |
121 |
161 |
341 |
9.7% |
Safety and comfort |
32 |
29 |
90 |
2% |
Accurate information |
52 |
22 |
89 |
2% |
Reliability and cleanliness |
10 |
1 |
12 |
0.03% |
TOTAL |
1,538 |
1,487 |
3,747 |
|
STL on-time rate (regular network) |
|||
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
89.53% |
88.72% |
89.43% |
90.20% |
- As with all daily motorists, the STL must contend with road blockages and traffic that often come on suddenly and whose impact is difficult to assess.
- Despite this, we have been consistently maintaining a high and stable on-time rate in the 90% range since 2016.
- Our highly reactive approach in the field enables us to make spontaneous adjustments so we can maintain the best possible level of service across our network:
- Adding extra buses at the start of routes and at bus terminals;
- Rerouting buses to commute around road blockages, etc.;
- 100+ corrective measures implemented for the 2019 back-to-school period alone
- Our systems provide us with a snapshot of our operations in real time. Although effective, they're not perfect, so the QCP gives us an additional tool with which to diagnose our service and any flaws it might encounter.
Findings and opportunities for improvement
On-time service
- Not surprisingly, punctuality makes up the highest percentage of QCP-related requests.
- Definitely the element with the biggest impact on riders' commutes.
- Softening of rules respecting compensation – more in line with the impact on a rider's commute. We now issue compensation for:
- Riders arriving late at their destination or their connecting bus, train, etc., even if the bus arrived on time at time of boarding;
- Buses arriving at a bus stop 2 min or more ahead of schedule;
- Buses riding past a stop because they're overcrowded.
- A permanent taskforce now reviews the requests received.
- Roll out of 19 continuous improvement initiatives focused on on-time service.
Reliable equipment and clean well-maintained network
- Reducing the time required to perform a corrective action on a bus shelter or bus stop to within 14 hours, even on weekends (previously 48 hours).
Clean buses
- Bus cleanliness standards redefined and audit program strengthened in 2017.
Paratransit transportation
- New network supervisor position created to oversee the service, and also interact with drivers and riders to raise awareness.
Management process
- Sharpening of the rider-first mindset organization-wide, and better collaboration between the various teams to abet the assessment process.
- QCP included in the hiring process.
- QCP among the Top 3 strategic objectives for each department.
Ridership growth
Regular network
Since 2016, the STL has seen its ridership grow by over 2%* each year. This means a +6% increase between 2016 and 2018. We are projecting the trend will continue in 2019, growing yet another 2% compared to 2018, and upping the total since 2016 to 8%.
Regular network ridership |
|
Year |
Number of trips (ridership) |
2016 |
18,820,169 |
2017 |
18,861,132 |
2018 |
18,940,098 |
2019 |
19,340,273 (projected) |
7.9%** increase from 2016 to 2019
**This calculation does not include contractual fluctuations tied to school bus service as of Fall 2017. The ridership referred to here pertains to the STL's regular network (buses and shared taxis) and does not include paratransit transportation.
Paratransit transportation ridership |
|
Year |
Number of trips (ridership) |
2016 |
480,604 |
2017 |
489,355 |
2018 |
512,233 |
2019 |
536,225 (projected) |
11.6% increase from 2016 to 2019
SOURCE Société de transport de Laval
Estelle Lacroix, Communications Advisor, Société de transport de Laval, 450 662-5400, ext. 8388, [email protected]
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